Man Utd star told to 'pick his battles' as Rio Ferdinand points out major flaw

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Manchester United's Leny Yoro has been told to be better at "picking his battles" by Rio Ferdinand - who thinks he's engaging in too many physical tussles.

The French centre-half, still only 20, is into his second season at Old Trafford and has made himself a regular in the backline. He's had to change systems with Michael Carrick replacing Ruben Amorim , but Ferdinand believes he's leaning too much into the physical side of the game.

Yoro's age profile means he still has plenty of developing to do, but he's coming up against strikers in their prime who are ready to take him on in a tussle. And Ferdinand insists he's fighting with players that he's unlikely to beat.

He said on his podcast Rio Ferdinand Presents : "Leny Yoro right now is trying to fight too many fights in a game, when physically he's not starting at the same place. They're all much more physically developed. Most of the players he's playing against and No. 9s especially are stronger than him.

"So, then you've got to pick your battles. Pick your duel. Which one are you actually going to have if you've got a 60-40 in your favour? Then you go all in."

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Yoro has only been part of three United clean sheets in the Premier League , underlining how poorly the team have defended at times this season. The most recent of those came when he played the final 90 minutes in a 1-0 win at Everton .

The ex-Lille defender is already playing under his third manager in Manchester having been signed by Erik ten Hag. Amorim previously claimed that Yoro found it difficult to recover from setbacks during games.

He commented: "He makes a mistake in the game and then he struggles because he’s too young and he wants to do everything so well. He’s growing with games and with setbacks; it’s not easy for him as a young guy."

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United's backline is now a more competitive place with Amorim gone - which has also seen the end of his back three. Previously three centre-halves were in the starting XI but Carrick has returned to a more conventional back four system. In their last game, a loss at Newcastle , Harry Maguire paired up with Yoro.

Lisandro Martinez's injury has allowed the pair to form a relationship in recent weeks, but the Argentine's return will leave any manager with a decision to make. Youngster Ayden Heaven is also highly thought of and seeking minutes to continue his development.

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